China's top diplomat Wang holds call with Iranian counterpart
by AFP Staff Writers
Beijing (AFP) April 16, 2024

China's foreign minister held phone discussions with his Iranian counterpart, Beijing's state media said Tuesday, reporting that Iran reiterated it was "willing to exercise restraint" after its first-ever attack on Israel's territory.

Israel has vowed to respond to the unprecedented Iranian missile and drone strikes over the weekend, which have prompted appeals for de-escalation by world leaders fearing wider conflict.

According to Beijing's Xinhua news agency, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian briefed Wang Yi on Tehran's position on the April 1 attack on the consular annex of the Iranian embassy in the Syrian capital Damascus, which Iran says prompted its aerial assault.

Xinhua said Amir-Abdollahian told Wang that the United Nations Security Council "did not make a necessary response to this attack", and that "Iran has the right to self-defence in response to the violation of its sovereignty".

Amir-Abdollahian said Iran is "willing to exercise restraint" and has no intention of further escalating tensions, adding the current regional situation is "very sensitive", according to the readout.

Wang said China "strongly condemns and firmly opposes the attack" on the Iranian consular annex, Xinhua reported, and regards it as a "serious violation of international law and unacceptable".

The readout said China has noted Iran's statement that its "action taken was limited and was an act of self-defence" in response to the attack against the consular annex.

"China appreciates Iran's stress on not targeting regional and neighbouring countries as well as its reiteration on continuously pursuing a good-neighbourly and friendly policy," Xinhua quoted Wang as saying.

"It is believed that Iran can handle the situation well and spare the region further turmoil while safeguarding its own sovereignty and dignity," Wang reportedly said.

A readout on the call from Tehran's foreign ministry said Amir-Abdollahian briefed Wang on Iran's "legitimate action" in response to the targeting of its Damascus annex and "warned the White House" that further attacks on Iran's interests or security would invite a "decisive, immediate and extensive" response.

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